CHAMPIONS X’s 2! Congratulations to our Girls and Boys for winning the CMAC Basketball Championships . Shout out to Coaches Claxton and Kendall Flowers on a job well done! Also, kudos to MVPs T. Kidd (girls) and M. Norman (boys).

By Kara Kimbrough I can’t begin my annual list of favorite supermarket products of the previous year without urging everyone to shop locally for food. As an employer of thousands of Mississippians and boost to local economies, schools and organizations, locally owned and national supermarket chains need our support now more than ever. Ordering groceries online (I'm not including those prohibited from getting out) from companies that have no presence in our state might be an occasional necessity. But, let’s do our part to shop locally for food whenever possible. Without further ado, my favorite new (and recently discovered) food items of 2021 include: 1. Red Lobster Cheddar Bay Biscuits – finding the frozen version of the seafood chain’s popular (and unbelievably tasty) biscuits in the freezer case got 2021 off to a great start. It’s not the healthiest item, but who among us hasn’t needed the comfort of a biscuit to ward off the after-effects of a bad day? Yes, it’s easy to make (recipes abound online) but popping a pan of the ready-made version in the oven simplifies the process. 2. Amy’s Vegan Broccoli & Cheeze Bake - A popular casserole has been reinvented by the innovative company, a transformation resulting in a vegan version that’s gluten, dairy, lactose, and tree nut free. 3. Snyder’s Twisted Pretzel Sticks - My favorite snack (ok, addiction), potato chips, are not the healthiest snack. However, I’ve found a solution to provide a similar crunchy, salty experience in a healthier way. 4. Cheez-It Snap’d Crackers - Also new in the snack aisle is this crispy, “snappable” cracker. Like #3, it's more reminiscent of a potato chip than the original Cheez-It cracker. 5. Town House Black Pepper Dipping Thins – Another winner in the crisp division is this paddle-shaped cracker that plays nicely with dips and spreads. 6. Ortega Mini Taco Slider Shells – Speaking of crispy, these smaller versions of regular taco shells are perfect for kids, scaled-down adult meals and appetizers when filled with your favorite Tex-Mex ingredients. 7. Bird’s Eye Sheet Pan Meals – In the freezer case, meals have never been simpler than grabbing a bag filled with everything needed for a complete meal, including meat and seasoned vegetables. My favorite is the Italian featuring sausage, seasoned roasted potatoes, sliced red and yellow peppers and green beans. 8. Nilla Pieces and Banana Pudding – It's almost sacrilegious to eat this Southern delicacy from a small plastic cup, but any qualms evaporate after sampling this tasty treat. Found in the dairy case, the single servings of banana pudding come with bits of Nilla wafers to spread on top. It’s a surprisingly good facsimile of your grandmother’s version. 9. Orville Redenbacher’s Made with Avocado Oil – Ending on a somewhat healthy note is easy courtesy of the popcorn guru who came up with a formula of microwave popcorn that’s least greasy without losing the buttery taste. If I’m not mistaken, it’s lower in fat, making it a delicious snack without the guilt. 10. My favorite food find of the year was one I consider to be a game-changer in the world of frozen pizza. Like most of us, grabbing one from the freezer case to pop in the oven is an occasional necessity, but the cardboard-tasting crust on many of them always left a little something to be desired. All that has changed with the launch of DiGiorno Croissant Crust Pizza. All the gooey goodness of cheeses, sauce and meat is supported by a light, flaky, buttery crust that takes frozen pizza to a new stratosphere. I'm not sure I can ever go back to any other variety after sampling this innovative creation. Last, I'm still reminiscing about a 2021 trip to New York City. If you'd like my travel trips and restaurant recommendations in the Big Apple, drop me an email and I'll be happy to share. Sharing a pasta recipe from the northern state known for its outstanding Italian cuisine seems appropriate. Here's to a wonderful 2022! New York-Inspired Pasta Bake 1 pound spaghetti ¼ cup butter 2 eggs, beaten separately 1 (16-ounce) container ricotta cheese 1 (10-ounce) package chopped spinach, thawed and drained well 1/8 teaspoon garlic powder 8 ounces mozzarella cheese, shredded 4 links Italian sausage, cooked and sliced 1 (28-ounce) jar spaghetti sauce or equal amounts homemade Grated cheese Cook spaghetti a little less than normal. Drain, add butter and one of the beaten eggs. Mix. Divide in two; put in 2 greased pie pans, lining the pan, coming up the sides. Mix ricotta, spinach, garlic powder, mozzarella and the other egg. Mix sausage and spaghetti sauce. Spread a layer of cheese/spinach mixture, then sausage, topping with grated cheese. Bake at 350 degrees for about 25-30 minutes. Let set 10-15 minutes before slicing. Serves 6-8 people. Recipe adapted from “What’s Cooking at Stony Brook Cookbook” in “Best of the Best from New York Cookbook.” By Quail Ridge Press. Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.

The Jackson/Hinds Library System is partnering with Grow with Google to help our community learn digital skills with a virtual workshop on Grow with Google’s website on Thursday, February 17 at noon. During the workshop, "Reach Customers Online with Google," you will learn how customers find your business online and how to promote your business using Search Engine Optimization (SEO) and Smart Campaigns in Google Ads. Event details: Thursday, February 17, 2022 12:00 pm – 1:00 pm In this 60-minute webinar, Dave Delaney will discuss:  Improving your website’s visibility in Google’s organic search results, on all devices  Creating a free Google My Business listing  Advertising your business on Google For more information and to register, visit bit.ly/gwg21722 About Grow with Google: Grow with Google helps ensure that the opportunities created by technology are available to everyone. Since launching in 2017, we’ve trained more than three million Americans on digital skills. And through a network of more than 5,000 partner organizations–including local libraries, schools, and nonprofits – more people across the country can reach their full potential. To learn more about Grow with Google partners and the available tools and resources, visit google.com/grow. About Jackson/Hinds Library System: We provide public library service to urban metropolitan Jackson and Hinds County Mississippi, the state capital. Our goal is to provide quality service through our 14 locations. Mission Statement: Connecting communities to a world of information.

Struggling through an unseasonably warm Mississippi Christmas with sunny skies and near-80 temperatures was made bearable through incorporating elements of a chilly December 2019 trip to New York City. Reminiscing about the trip filled with magical sights like the Rockefeller Christmas tree, ice skaters at Bryant Park and the famed Rockettes’ Christmas Spectacular got me through a hot, albeit enjoyable day. Another anti-dote to a summer-like holiday was the addition of favorite dishes from the culinary capital of the world. First, recreating outstanding Italian food enjoyed at Carmine’s in 2019 and most recently, memorable meals at Tony di Napoli and Becco was a welcome respite from baking and gift-wrapping on Christmas Eve. These popular family-style restaurants near Times Square are sometimes looked down upon by die-hard foodies who consider Little Italy the only place in which to enjoy Italian cuisine in NYC. Today, many “true” Italian restaurants are located throughout Manhattan, in nearby Brooklyn (my niece’s favorite area) and the Bronx. Visiting some of the recommended Italian restaurants in these and other areas is on my list for a 2022 return trip. For Christmas Eve, I used memories from the three Italian-centric restaurants I’ve visited to create meat sauce paired with bucatini, focaccia and a semi-close version of Becco’s rosemary-lemon white bean dip. If you’d like the recipe for these and any other dishes I enjoyed in NYC, drop me an email at kkprco@yahoo.com. Speaking of NYC, I’ve received many emails from readers asking for, in addition to restaurant recommendations, advice on ways to travel to the Big Apple on a budget. I’m also happy to share transportation tips, favorite hotels and must-see attractions. If you’d like to receive my travel tips, feel free to reach out via email and I’ll send them your way. I’m a writer, so expect a long list. A fall ‘22 trip to NYC was on my horizon, but there are travel costs to consider. However, after yearning for cold weather and learning of a special promotion offering major discounts in the coming weeks, I may return a lot quicker than anticipated and here's why. With the exception of CityPass, a lifesaver on attraction entry fees during both of my visits, it’s rare to find discounts on a trip to NYC, much less on hotels, dining, Broadway, museums, cultural institutions, performing arts and tours. After doing a little research (my go-to is NYC & Company, the official destination marketing organization and convention and visitors for the five boroughs of NYC), here’s what I learned in preparation for my winter ’22 trip. Discounts are being offered as part of NYC Winter Outing, a promotion offered by NYC & Company Jan. 18 –Feb. 13. The program combines three signature programs: NYC Restaurant Week, NYC Broadway Week and NYC Must-See Week, and a new program, NYC Hotel Week. I’ve already located savings at my favorite NYC hotel, The Sheraton at Times Square at nycgo.com/hotelweek – and 114 additional hotels are offering discounts. Further details on NYC Winter Outing and CityPass are available at nycgo.com/winterouting. Even if a trip to the Big Apple is not possible this year, it's fun to browse the organization’s website (nycgo.com) to view hundreds of articles and informational recaps of the “best of the best” taking place in the city and adjacent boroughs. I promise you’ll quickly realize NYC is a magical place everyone should visit at least once in their lifetime. Happy New Year – here’s to a healthy, blessed 2022! Kara Kimbrough is a food and travel writer from Mississippi. Email her at kkprco@yahoo.com.

On Saturday, February 5, 2022, free Covid-19 vaccination shots will be available from 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. at Mt. Olive M.B. Church. Pfizer and Moderna first, second and booster shots will be administered by the Jackson Hinds Comprehensive Health Center. Children and adults are welcome and no advance appointment is required. See flyer, below. Location: Mt. Olive M.B. Church Fellowship Hall 6449 W. Northside Drive Bolton, MS 39041 Date and Time: Saturday, February 5, 2022 9:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. COVID-19 vaccinations for Mississippians are available at no cost from MSDH (Mississippi State Department of Health) sites around the state, and from local pharmacies and healthcare providers. Find a free vaccination near you at https://msdh.ms.gov/c19vaccination Related Story: https://www.boltonms.com/post/state-dept-of-health-stresses-need-for-covid-19-safeguards

“Redeeming Love” is a cross between a Christian movie, a mushy romance, and a demented exploitation film. This might sound like an intriguing combination, but the genres do not go well together, nor do they result in an entertaining trainwreck. On top of my many, many complaints about this movie, it cannot be forgotten that it is a poorly-paced slog that has no business taking up 134 minutes of your time. Really, it has no business taking up one minute of your time, let alone 134. Set in the California Gold Rush of the mid-19th century, the film follows “Angel” (Abigail Cowan) as she is saved from a life of prostitution by humble farmer Michael (Tom Lewis). I’ll start with him. This is a character that can only exist as a protagonist in a work of fiction. To be sure, there are many men in the real world that are kind, compassionate, respectful, generous, patient, and refuse to take advantage of women even though they have ample opportunity to do so. But this is a guy that pays a prostitute double just to flirt. “Angel” runs away from him at least three times during the movie, and the official reason is that she thinks he’s too good to be true or she isn’t worthy of him, but I suspect that on an unofficial level she sees that he’s perfect and perfect is boring. Moving on to “Angel,” she’s lived a tragic life and she isn’t ready for an abrupt turn into wholesomeness. And this movie loves to revel in just how tragic that life has been. Several scenes depict “Angel” being beaten, raped, and otherwise abused, going back to when she was a child. There’s even an especially sick twist reminiscent of “Oldboy.” I know there’s an argument to be made that we need to see the darkness so it means more when she finally sees the light, but this movie is so dark for so long that the light barely registers when it does come. Speaking of “the light,” this movie is based on a story from the Bible, but it must be one of those icky ones for hardcore scholars and not the kind that come up in general-audience Sunday services – the kind that come up in those internet articles with titles like, “The 5 Sickest Stories You’ll Ever Hear (Are Straight Out Of The Bible).” The movie has Christian-based financial backing, and while I can’t say that it just pays the bare minimum of lip service to the Christian market in order to get that backing (looking at you, “American Underdog”), it sure could be doing a lot more to be palatable to its target audience of people who want something more uplifting. A huge pet peeve of mine is when movies censor themselves just enough to get a PG-13 rating instead of the R that the subject matter warrants. “Redeeming Love” is one of the most egregious examples of this practice that I have ever seen. It’s not just that there’s sex and violence in this movie, but it’s a heinous brand of sex and violence. But the hair is long enough that the necessary body parts are covered and the camera cuts away from prolonged beatings so we just hear punches and crying. In the ridiculous current system, that makes the movie clean enough to play to the same crowd as the Marvel movies. I’ll spare it from an F grade because it does a decent enough job recreating the time period, but this is the singular most unpleasant time I’ve had at the movies in years. Grade: D- “Redeeming Love” is rated PG-13 for mature thematic content, sexual content, partial nudity, and strong violent content. Its running time is 134 minutes. Contact Bob Garver at rrg251@nyu.edu.

Hinds County Ministerial Alliance is a non-profit Bible based organization and is operated by several pastors and ministers of the Bolton and surrounding communities. It was founded in 2015 by Pastor Clyde Robinson and was properly organized with the naming of officers and board members in 2018. It was granted its non-profit 501c3 status in 2021. The pastors followed their vision and opportunity to acquire the Hinds County school building that was previously named the Main Street Restart Center. The vision to acquire this school building for the community came to Rev. George Farrell and was supported and assisted by the other pastors and board members. He said “this is by-far a blessing orchestrated by God.” The pastors and clergies currently meet for Bible study and/or Bible training each Saturday morning at 9 a.m. in the Ministerial Alliance meeting room. This study is open to clergies and anyone who wishes to attend. The vision is to make this facility accessible to the Bolton and Hinds County community for meetings and other group activities that will enhance the economic, social, physical and spiritual well-being of the residents. The ministry is open to receiving donations, grants, gifts, in-kind and volunteer help. Rev. George Ferrell, president, is a resident of Clinton and a pastor of New Hope Baptist Church in Edwards. He is president of the Hinds County Baptist Association and has served on various councils, including on Clinton’s Board of Aldermen for a number of years. Rev. Ferrell was instrumental in acquiring the 501c3 non-profit status and other legal requirements for the Ministerial Alliance. Rev. Clyde Robinson, vice president, is a resident of Bolton and serves as the pastor of Discipline and Disciples Church in Bolton. He is president of the Hinds County Congress of Christian education, founder of the Hinds County Ministerial Alliance and is a well-respected pastor of the community. Rev. Clavorn Logan, secretary/treasurer, is a resident of Edwards and the pastor of New Morning Star Baptist Church in Tallulah, Louisiana. He served under Rev. S.L. Spann at Greater Fairview Jackson and Rev. Elzie O’Neal at United Mission Baptist Church, Edwards. He retired from the Rankin County Public School System in 2016. The Alliance location is 130 Champion Hill Road in Bolton. For more information, call 769-208-0660 or e-mail HindsCtyMinisterialAlliance@gmail.com.

Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP) and CABA (Capital Area Bar Association MS) are bringing Hinds County residents a free clinic where they can receive legal advice and assistances with divorces, name changes, visitation, custody, guardianships, birth certificate corrections and emancipations. Participants must be a Hinds County resident and only one matter will be allowed per person. Appointments may be made between 9:00 a.m. and 12:00 p.m. Call the Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project at 601-882-5001 to schedule an appointment. The clinic will be held at Hinds County Chancery Court located at 316 South President Street, Jackson MS 39201. About MVLP (from their website): The Mississippi Volunteer Lawyers Project (MVLP) is a 501(c)(3) non-profit legal aid organization. Formed in 1982, MVLP is the nation's first formal association of a state bar association, the Mississippi Bar Association, and the Legal Services Corporation (LSC). MVLP's long-standing relationship with the Mississippi Bar and the LSC has resulted in a professional and productive partnership, with attorneys unselfishly offering their time and talents to serve Mississippi's poor and less fortunate. Even before completing its first year of operation, MVLP was cited by the American Bar Association and the National Legal Aid and Defender Association as the country's single most outstanding program among state Bar associations. Since 1982, MVLP has helped thousands of clients with a wide array of legal matters. More recently, the organization has narrowed its services to assisting clients with domestic matters, exclusively. MVLP is grateful to its volunteers for the sacrifices they make to change the lives of those in need. Without the contributions and support of volunteers and partners, MVLP could not have reached out to so many Mississippians in the broader effort to ensure equal access to justice for all.

Bolton's newly elected Mayor and Board of Aldermen will be sworn into office on Tuesday, July 6, 2021. The swearing in ceremonies will begin at 7 p.m. and will be held at Town Hall, 202 Bolton Raymond Road. The public is invited to attend.

The regularly scheduled meeting of the Mayor and Board of Aldermen at Bolton Town Hall on Tuesday, August 3 at 7 p.m. will not be held at that time. It has been rescheduled for Wednesday, August 4, 2021 at 6 p.m. The public is invited to attend. The change was made due to the expectation that Town Hall will be without power on August 3rd, in connection with repairs being made by Entergy. Bolton Town Hall is located at 202 Bolton Raymond Road, Bolton, MS 39041. 601.866.2221.

The meeting of Bolton's Mayor and Aldermen that was scheduled for Tuesday, August 3, 2021, was rescheduled and held Wednesday, August 4. The reason for the change was temporary power outages at Town Hall in connection with repairs being made by Entergy. The Board discussed a number of issues including disposal of tree limbs and branches, elimination of trash dumped unlawfully that is creating a hazard, information requested by State auditors to complete their audit and requests from Bolton Police Department to retire two vehicles and purchase two new vehicles. A decision was made to allow BPD to treat two vehicles as surplus equipment, take bids from potential purchasers and present the bids to the Board. The Board also adopted a change to its regularly scheduled meetings: Effective immediately, future meetings will begin at 6 p.m. (instead of 7 p.m.). The Mayor and Board of Aldermen meet on the first and third Tuesday of each month, 6 p.m. at Bolton Town Hall, 202 Bolton Raymond Road. The public is invited to attend. Bolton's Mayor and Aldermen are: ​ Lawrence Butler, Mayor William Woods, Alderman-at-Large Douglas Beard, Alderman Ward 1 Helen Harris, Alderwoman Ward 2 Shirley Mason, Alderwoman Ward 3 Vera Powell, Alderwoman Ward 4 Telephone: 601-866-2221 Email: Bolton_town@yahoo.com Pictured below: William Woods, Alderman-at-large, Douglas Beard, Ward 1, Helen Harris, Ward 2, Shirley Mason, Ward 3, Vera Powell, Ward 4. Pictured above: William Woods, Douglas Beard, Helen Harris, Shirley Mason and Vera Powell.